


certainty

by ignitesthestars



Category: Shades of Magic - V. E. Schwab
Genre: M/M, Romance, Slow Dancing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-23
Updated: 2017-10-23
Packaged: 2019-01-21 18:55:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 732
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12463803
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ignitesthestars/pseuds/ignitesthestars
Summary: Alucard would have been his secret if he’d had to, if that’s what Rhy had wanted, but the empire is learning that there are some things their new king won’t compromise on.Alucard’s ego and Alucard’s heart are happy to come under that umbrella. Alucard’s healthy sense of paranoia that kept him alive through three years of privateering feels a little bit like he has a target on his back





	certainty

Alucard had forgotten how much he hated court.

Well - no, not precisely true. He just hadn’t had to _think_ about it for three years. At first he had bigger things on his mind. Eventually, better things, in all avenues except one.

That avenue leans in towards him now, a layer of concern tucked behind the brilliant smile he gives the ballroom before him. Rhy is installed in his throne and Alucard has his position standing to his left, both of them eyeing the sea of fabric and moving bodies before them.

“That’s dangerous,” Rhy murmurs, caught between teasing and tension. Alucard raises his eyebrows.

“Were you planning on elaborating, or did you prefer me to guess?”

“You’re brooding. Not that I’m complaining, of course, brooding is an especially good look on you. But we can agree it’s not the safest habit.”

Alucard’s mouth pulls into a smile despite his mood, because that’s the kind of effect he has on him. Prince or king or man in his bed, it doesn’t matter, they’re all Rhy.

“You’ve proven yourself more than capable of dealing with a little danger, your Majesty.”

“Now who needs to elaborate?”

Their bent heads have caught the notice of the court, and Alucard drags his gaze over the various expressions. Some are better at hiding than most, but he catches jealousy, intrigue, disapproval, indulgence. At Rhy’s insistence, they have not been subtle, its own small relief. Alucard would have been his secret if he’d had to, if that’s what Rhy had wanted, but the empire is learning that there are some things their new king won’t compromise on.

Alucard’s ego and Alucard’s heart are happy to come under that umbrella. Alucard’s healthy sense of paranoia that kept him alive through three years of privateering feels a little bit like he has a target on his back. And unlike on the open seas, he’s unable to simply kill the person aiming at him and take their valuables.

Well. He probably could, but it would put his partner in a spot of bother, and Alucard is done with being bailed out by the crown.

“Oh,” Rhy says, and that’s when it occurs to him that he hadn’t actually responded to his lover’s inquiry. “You really are having a problem, aren’t you? I’ll stop teasing.”

 _Oh, you can tease me any time you like_ is on the tip of his tongue, but what comes out instead is a look of gratitude. There’s a lot to appreciate about their relationship these days, but this - the quiet understanding that passes between them in less than a blink, this is what Alucard came back to try for.

“It’s a little...stifling. That’s all.”

It’s not all and he can see it in Rhy’s golden eye that it’s not all. The king swallows, turns away. Looks out at his people.

“You know that you’re welcome to go, if you want to. At any time. So long as you warn me, I’ll always be here to welcome you back.”

Kissing the king in the middle of a ball would be improper under any circumstances. Alucard rests his hand briefly on Rhy’s shoulder, rings glittering in the light. He breathes in deep, imagines the tang of salt on the wind, exhales.

“I don’t want to leave you,” he says, because that’s the important part. That’s everything. “But I do reserve the right to brood. Lends me an air of mystery. You don’t want anyone to think they know what your protector is going to do next.”

Rhy barks a laugh, drawing more heads. In the past that’s caused him to break off conversation, but what he does now is stand. His own hand cover’s Alucard’s fingers as he removes them from his shoulder, drawing him towards the ballroom floor as he does so.

“We hope that he deigns to dance with his king,” he sniffs, the haughty royalty of his voice in direct odds with that grin. Alucard thinks his heart probably skips a beat, because he’s hopeless, because he’s in love.

He steps in close, settling his hand on Rhy’s upper arm, letting his lover’s sit at his waist. 

“You’re impossible to resist,” he murmurs. The rest of the hall drops away. There is music, there is dance, there is the two of them.

“I hope you’re happy with that,” Rhy says.

“I couldn’t be happy without it.”

**Author's Note:**

> feel free to prompt more adsom fic from me over at my [tumblr!](http://ignitesthestars.tumblr.com)


End file.
